Jun 7 Moving Tips

Moving is always a stressful process but it can also be the best thing you ever do! You get a chance to reorganize your home on a completely clean slate. The tricky part is not in the moving day itself but the planning before it. You want your “moving in” to be smooth and effortless, and that takes a lot “effort”, but that’s only temporary and will make your life much easier in the long run.

Call your realtor to know the date you will be receiving your key to the new place.

Call the administration of the new building to check when are the days allowed for moving.

Book a mover. (From my experience, I tried Bust a Move in Montreal and loved them.) Ask your realtor for good movers to avoid scammers.

Hire a cleaning company to come in and clean a day before you move in or the weekend before - depends when you get the keys (I recommend Smart Maids in montreal for their easy online booking and payment process)

Make sure you have curtains bought/installed before the first night of moving in.

Schedule an electricity transfer in advance to ensure you will have electricity starting the first day moving in.

Change your mailing address (bank, subscriptions, etc)

START PACKING!

What you need:

Big boxes

Medium boxes

Small boxes

Plate foam separators

Drinking glasses compartment boxes

Wardrobe boxes for hanging clothing

Lots of wrapping paper and bubble wrap!

Tip: always over estimate the number of boxes you will need, if not you will be going back and forth buying more.

Packing Timeline: What do you pack first??

Décor objects that have no particular use should be packed in the beginning.

Seasonal clothing, if it’s summer pack your winter clothing and vice versa. (I suggest packing them in storage boxes to just place in your new home)

Kitchen appliances you can live without for a couple of months.

Books and magazines (make sure books are not in big boxes since movers are not allowed to carry boxes heavier than 50 lbs - distribute them among other lighter office boxes)

As the moving day gets closer start packing more and more essential items.

Tip: Leave couches, big lamps & large items like the TV for movers to move on moving day.

While packing:

You need to get rid of items you no longer use simultaneously. Do NOT pack items you haven’t used in the past year.

Pack items in categories that are based on furniture items. For example, everything that will go on your dresser should be packed together and labeled.

Buy organizers and pack items in them. That way when it’s time to unpack you have less items to take out and the only chore would be choosing the perfect spot. (I would suggest Home Outfitters, Organize it, or Solutions and make a list while you go through your stuff so you don’t get overwhelmed on what to get)

A week before moving:

Pack your kitchen to a minimum and live on recyclable paper and plastic plates and utensils. Some companies offer to pack your kitchen, but that will only cost you more time and money.

Pack your clothing and toiletries as if you’re traveling leaving out only the essentials.

How to label your moving boxes:

Assign each area of the new place you’re moving into with a colored duct tape.

Make signs with each color and place the sign above each area.

Boxes with things that need to go into each room will be packed and taped down with that coordinating color duct tape. (Also, make sure you write down what’s inside on the outside before taping the box closed)

On moving day you will tell the movers to look for the signs and place the same colored boxes to the assigned areas.

This will save you A LOT of headache (as well as backache) of figuring out where is what and dragging boxes around the place when you unpack. Since the movers are already paid to carry the boxes, might as well have them carry it to the right spot!